Services Return Slowly As Shelters Emptying

200 In Jail Freed To Ease Tensions

Palm Beach County authorities continued taking drastic steps Tuesday to keep the county jail calm and streets safe as power, cable and telephone service slowly returned and residents headed back to work and to grocery stores and other places for necessities.

Much attention was on the jail, where a power shortage caused by Hurricane Frances shut down air conditioning Saturday and triggered minor flooding and fighting among heat-weary inmates. About 200 inmates charged with curfew violations and nonviolent offenses Monday were released to ease overcrowding and tension, sheriff's Capt. Mark Chamberlain said. Another 120 inmates with less than 35 days remaining on their sentences will be freed by today, he said.

"As the temperatures rose, so did the tempers," Chamberlain said.

Curfews remained in effect for most of the county to prevent looting in communities without power. Sheriff's deputies and municipal police arrested about 225 curfew-breakers over the Labor Day weekend. One man was arrested in Boca Raton for posing as a police officer so he could surf, records show.

Few people were still in county shelters. Four shelters remained open with 515 occupants.

Electricity returned to more homes and businesses but still in limited areas. By 6 p.m., Florida Power & Light Co. had restored service to 286,400 Palm Beach County homes, more than a third of the 660,000 customers who lost power from Frances.

Most hospitals, fire-rescue stations and water and sewer plants had power again, the company reported. Ten percent of traffic signals in the county were working. Company officials said they aren't expecting a complete restoration of electric service for weeks.

County utilities director Gary Dernlan said any standing water on county roads and lawns should be considered contaminated due to sewer backups.

"Children should not be allowed to play outside until further notice," Dernlan said.

Hundreds of mobile homes were damaged or destroyed by the hurricane, county building director Barbara Alterman said.

Inspectors found 63 destroyed trailers, 204 with major damage and 412 with minor damage in unincorporated areas through Tuesday night. There are an estimated 22,000 mobile homes in the county and cities, Alterman said.

Palm Beach County schools were closed for the rest of the week.

The main County Courthouse, including the offices of the State Attorney and Public Defender, will be closed until Monday. The South County Courthouse in Delray Beach and the Belle Glade Courthouse will reopen Thursday.

But businesses began reopening and edgy residents flooded to eateries for something to do.

Carlos and Suzanne Rodriguez, of West Palm Beach, finished an early dinner of chicken Caesar salad and low-carb cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory in the late afternoon. Still without electricity at home, they heard on the radio that restaurants at CityPlace were opening.

"It's hard to find a place to eat," said Carlos Rodriguez, 62, "and things are becoming thin at our house." More important, they said, was finding ice so Carlos could keep his insulin supply cool. They got some at their church.

The Rodriguezes said they are coping by just taking it one day at a time.

Their friends, Alan Schwartz and Mary Miller, both of West Palm Beach, picked up a pizza at CityPlace Pizza. Miller, 40, a CityPlace resident, said she was glad to see the restaurants open because people are getting tired of being stuck in hot homes.

Other residents were desperate to find basic necessities.

The lines at the Wells Community Center, in Riviera Beach, formed early in the morning after some people said they heard on the radio that distribution of ice and water would begin at 7 a.m.

Vehicles stacked in the right lane of Blue Heron Boulevard at Avenue H West and wrapped around to Old Dixie Highway. More than 100 waited on foot, some feeling the strain of a long wait.

A crew of city and county volunteers, along with the United Way of Palm Beach County, unpacked a truck full of ice bags and military ready-to-eat meals. But much-coveted water was not on the way. About a dozen National Guard officers were there with rifles to maintain order.

At the South Florida Fairgrounds west of West Palm Beach, dozens of other people waited in line for hours for ice, water, military meals and a limited number of tarps. Many had come for the second day in a row. Other emergency supply centers reported similar scenes.

Palm Beach County officials said they will open the six supply centers at 10 a.m. today, initially for ice only. Food, water and tarps to cover roof damage are expected to arrive, but times are uncertain.